Don't Catch Me Page 16

  Jim just walked with him without saying a word. Aaron was in his head, not hearing him or anyone else right now. He needed to settle his thoughts. He needed to contain the ache that always started in his chest, in his heart, eating away at his guts and moving up until it stuck in his throat and he would do anything to get it out. It was the same before every fight—the same pain and crushing loss. Her face would come to him slowly, then her scent.

  Jim was in front of him as he left the locker room. The stench of sweat and cologne hung heavy in the air. The beefy security guys dressed in black sports shirts and blue jeans, all muscle, were controlling the crowds and lined the rows and the entrance. Then there were the fans in the arena, which was always jam packed. It was loud chaos, and he walked with his head down, focused, seeing only hands reaching out into the aisle as he passed.

  He didn’t hear his name, but he heard the fans chanting, and that was when he felt the loss of her. The tightness filling his chest turned to fire and rage, and everything disappeared from his peripheral, the sounds drowning into a hum that built as he approached the cage. He was warm even though he knew the air conditioners were cranked. Jim pulled his robe off, and he stepped out of his sandals. A hand touched his shoulder. Jim said something, but Aaron was too focused on his pain, his hurt, and the fight he was facing. He nodded out of habit and to get him to stop talking. There was a zone he needed to get into to fight, but Aaron was past that now.

  He was never scared.

  He was ready to fight. He wanted to fight.

  He stepped into the ring and heard the announcer, his name echoing in the arena. His opponent was on the other side: Matterson, from Georgia. He wore black shorts, the same tight second skin, five foot ten and one hundred eighty-five pounds. Aaron had three inches and fifteen pounds on him, but that wasn’t his only advantage.

  As soon as the bell rang, he saw her. That was when it all hit him, not her face but the screams, the noise, the fear and the panic and the fact that he hadn’t been able to do a damn thing to help her, to get to her. He had been caught up in his own hell. He hadn’t been strong enough.

  When he went at his opponent, even though he could hear his fists, feel the punches, the pounding of flesh, the connecting of bone, the blood, he didn’t stop. He kept going. His adrenaline surged and roared in his ears, and his two realities merged in that moment just like they did every time he stepped into the ring, stepped into a fight.

  He would win, but he had already lost.

  This fight, like every one, was a do over. What he’d once struggled against had been too much, and he was reliving it again and again in a different time, a different place. He could win his fights now, but the one that counted couldn’t have been won. He hadn’t been able to save her—Brittany. He relived the horror of that day twelve years ago. He’d been young, eighteen, believing he knew everything and could do anything. The fact was that he’d known nothing at all.

  He fought for her now, but he still couldn’t save her.

  His arm was raised as he was declared the victor. He was out of breath, seeing Matterson on the ground, his team around him, helping him to his feet. Aaron had won again, as he did every time he stepped into the ring, but it was a win that filled him with nothing as he took in the crowds. He could hear the noise, the cheers, the chanting for him. McCabe, McCabe, over and over. The energy should have lifted him, but it left him a spectator, seeing it all from the outside looking in.

  He saw the groupies, the screaming women and cheering men. The vibration of adrenaline was still crashing through him. He blinked, suddenly back in the arena, seeing the lights, the rumbling crowds, and the flashing cameras. He took in the banner strung between two women, one in a tight stretched white tank, with no bra, leaving little to the imagination as she jumped in the air: McCabe, I love you! But she was just a face in the crowd, because the woman he loved, the one who haunted his dreams, the one he fought for every time he stepped into the ring, this was all for her.

  He was doing now what he hadn’t been able to do then, but none of it made him feel anything except the crushing weight of loss, because she was gone now, and it hit him harder than it had after any other fight. Brittany was the only woman he’d ever loved.

  He climbed out of the ring and slipped into his robe. Hands dabbed at something on his face—a cut, most likely. There were smiles, cheers, slaps on his back and his shoulders from his team. He’d made his fans happy, his coach happy, the screaming women happy, except Aaron didn’t care about any of them.

  The only person he wanted to make happy was the one person who wasn’t here: Brittany, with her sweet face, her hazel eyes, her auburn hair, and the dimples he loved.

  He hung his head, his hood pulled up. Again it hit low in his gut, the thud of emptiness as he saw it clearly, the plea in her eyes as she’d reached out across a courtyard to him. That second had changed his entire life, because Aaron hadn’t been able to do then what he could have done now. He hadn’t been able to save Brittany.

  Available August 15 from all retailers click here to order your copy.

  Please Leave a Review

  Thank you for reading Don’t Catch Me, this was Chase’s story and a series that will continue much like The Friessens. If you enjoyed Don’t Catch Me then I’d love to ask you a favor and have you go back to wherever you purchased this eBook from and leave a review, or click here for a direct link back to your retailer of choice. Even just a few kind words really does mean a lot.

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  Although this book and all my books have been edited and proofed, editors, proofreaders, and I are all human. If you spot a typo, please email me at lorhainne@lorhainneeckhart.com and let me know. Also, I would like to thank everyone who has emailed and told all their family and friends about my books. If you’d like to know more about my other books, please scroll to the next section or visit my website at www.LorhainneEckhart.com.

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  All the best,

  Lorhainne Eckhart

  Other Works Available

  ‘A 2016 Readers’ Favorite Award Winner’

  VANISHED

  The Saved Series

  ‘A 2016 Readers’ Favorite Award Winner in Suspense’

  She thought her nightmare was over

  —“I'm an advocate for women in sexual assault, abuse and domestic violence, and I have to give this author two thumbs up for how she writes her stories.” – Amazon Reviewer- Jamie

  —“Lorhainne Eckhart is a very prolific and talented writer. Get to know her work, you won't regret it.” – Amazon Reviewer – Karen

  —“Loved this book...Five stars don’t come from me easily. Tugged at my heart!”—Kivey

  —“The focus on a woman taken was a very classic ideal because it was set in a military arena. YOU have to read these books, but make sure that you have e box of tissues because you will need them.” — Faybe

  In VANISHED, Abby has married the man of her dreams. He rescued her, and he’s the father of her child. Everything should be perfect, but she begins to relive her nightmare from when she was taken… and one night she disappears, leaving her children alone in the dead of night, her husband on a military ship halfway around the world.

  * * *

  But when Eric arrives home and the search begins, there are two disturbing questions: Was someone in the house? And how is it possible for Abby to simply vanish?

  Click here to download VANISHED

  Read excerpt from VANISHED

  “Push. Come on, baby. You can do this.” Eric was behind Abby on the hospital bed so she could lean against him. Her hands gripped his with a strength most men didn’t have. She was damp and sweaty, and she was exhausted from being in labor all night, more than twelve hours.

  “Almost there, Abby. Just give me one more push.” The military
doctor, Chase Hargrove, was a young, round-faced man of medium height and build with light curly hair. He glanced at Eric and lifted the baby, setting him on Abby’s stomach. “Here he is, your boy.” Chase grinned, flashing two dimples, and stood up, glancing at Abby through his round, fashionable glasses. “How are you doing, Abby?”

  “I’m okay.” She set her hand on the baby’s back, trying not to nudge her IV. She watched the baby, and Eric leaned down and kissed her forehead, brushing back the long blond hair that was tangled and stuck to her skin. She gazed up at him with heavenly blue eyes that appeared tired and a little glassy. Exhaustion—it had to be.

  “You did good, baby. You okay?” he asked. His arm was around her, and she leaned against him. Her knees were still up as the doctor finished delivering the placenta. She lifted her hand from the baby and rubbed her forehead, pressing her cheek into Eric’s chest.

  “I’m just tired. Can you take the baby?” She had lifted her hands as if the baby lying on her was a burden. She sounded off, too, Eric thought, or maybe she was just tired and he was reading too much into it.

  The doctor glanced up but didn’t seem concerned. A nurse set a blanket over the baby and wiped off most of the blood, and Eric lifted him as another nurse set a white cotton hat on his head. Eric stood up, and Abby lay back down, the head of the bed raised as high as it could go, as a nurse started to check her vitals.

  “We’re going to get you moved and settled pretty quickly. You should be able to go home at the end of the day,” the doctor said.

  Eric held his newborn baby, so tiny, in the crook of his arm. He flicked his gaze away from his quiet son, who had yet to make a peep. He had round cheeks and a pink face with a tiny button nose just like his mama’s. His eyes were still closed. Eric smiled until he noticed Abby looking away, appearing uninterested in what the doctor was saying. Eric added, “How about some sleep first? With Rachel at home, we risk a very happy two-year-old climbing all over Mommy. I don’t think Abby is anxious to get back just yet.”

  “It’s all right, Eric. I just need some sleep,” she said from where she lay, turning her head toward him.

  It had been ten days since Eric stepped off the destroyer in homeport, met by his very pregnant wife, Abby, and their two-year-old plump little girl, Rachel, whom he had delivered after rescuing Abby in the middle of nowhere in the Persian Gulf. She had escaped her abductor, Seyed Hossein, the man who’d bought her, kept her, and abused her until, one night, she escaped. She had been eight months pregnant. Abby was a human trafficking success story. Of the women who disappeared in Europe, most were never found again, but Eric had found her and saved her, and she was now his wife.

  Rachel had dark hair and olive skin, and she didn’t resemble Eric at all, with only hints of Abby. She was the only reminder of what Abby had survived, and Eric loved the precious little girl as if she were his very own.

  Eric cuddled his son, a light-haired baby who fit in the crook of his arm. He glanced down at Abby, and her eyes were closed. The baby was settled and seemed so comfortable, as if he knew his daddy would always keep him safe. His tiny hand rested over his eyes, and he started to work his lips.

  Eric was about to wake Abby when the doctor said, “No, let her sleep. The baby’s good. We’ll send him into the nursery, and the nurses can give him a supplement of formula if he needs it.”

  There was a tap on the door, and a nurse poked her head in. “Captain Hamilton, there are people out here to see you.”

  Eric started to the door because he knew who was out there. “Well, let me go show off my son,” he said, heading to meet his old friend Joe, who was his current XO, and his wife, Mary-Margaret.

  * * *

  She could smell the blood, the antiseptic, and hear voices: deep, low, close whispers. She told herself to pretend to be asleep, to concentrate, to keep breathing in and out, nice and easy. She relaxed her eyelids. She couldn’t let them see she was awake. The floor squeaked with footsteps, and the door closed. She heard someone walking away just outside the door, but she also knew someone was still there, waiting quietly in the corner. She felt as if she had suddenly been thrown into the middle of a cat-and-mouse game, and she could feel the room, the locked door, the stiff mattress she lay on. She was so cold, and, try as she might, she couldn’t stop the chill that racked her body. She trembled.

  A hand touched her, and she jumped. Her eyes flew open, and she gasped at the dark-haired woman standing over her. Who was she? Where was she? She winced as she sat up. The woman’s hand was still on her shoulder, and she took in the small, box-like hospital room. It was dim, though the curtains were open.

  “Are you okay?” the woman asked. She was wearing a pink scrub top, and Abby stared at the V cut of the neck and wondered why the woman hadn’t covered herself. She had pale bare arms, too, and she took Abby’s wrist and glanced at her watch. Abby stared at the door—a locked door, or was it?

  The door opened, and Eric, her tall, dark-haired husband with vibrant blue eyes, entered and frowned. “Abby, you’re awake,” he said. “I just showed off our son to Joe and Mary-Margaret. They’re here now, and they wanted to come in and see you, but I thought you were sleeping.” He glanced down at the tiny baby in his arms. Eric was so happy, as if he was staring at the most precious thing ever. He was so strong, her husband, her man. He was out of uniform, wearing blue jeans and a snug black T-shirt that showed off the finest biceps, triceps, and six-pack abs, as well as the rock-hard chest that had always comforted her.

  She watched as he held his son, and her heart pounded with each step closer he took. She couldn’t take her eyes off the blanket and the bundle he was holding. She couldn’t see it—she didn’t want to see it. She feared the face that would stare back at her. His footsteps became slow and drawn out, and all she could hear was an echo as they came closer. She could feel a pressure on her arm as she stared at the blur in front of her: white, closer now. There was a hand on her face, touching her, warm and strong and familiar, and she grabbed hold.

  “Abby! Abby…”

  She could hear him, and she stared into a demanding, strong, and a worried expression. Another man appeared, with glasses and light hair. A light flashed in her eyes, and it burned. She pushed his hand away.

  “I’m okay,” she said to a room that seemed suddenly full of people: nurses, doctors. The lights were on now, bright above her.

  “Abby, what happened?” It was Eric. He was beside her on the bed, his arm around her. She leaned against him, just him, no baby. Then she looked up at the dark-haired nurse holding her son. She pulled back the blanket and the wool cap on his head, and Abby sagged in relief at his light red chubby cheeks and the light hair plastered to his head.

  Click here to download VANISHED

  Now available THE SAVED SERIES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION. This boxed set includes all three books in this military suspense series.

  SAVED: "Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken. But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me."

  VANISHED: She thought her nightmare was over

  CAPTURED: Captain Eric Hamilton is now settled on base after giving up his first love, the sea, for his wife, Abby, and their children. He watches day in and day out as his friends are deployed, burning with an empty feeling as if life is passing him by--that is, until his friend Lieutenant Commander Joe Reed is captured while deployed in Iraq.While his family is at home, helpless, Joe's life hangs in the balance, and Eric is forced to make a decision he swore he would never make again: Should he leave Abby and their children to go halfway around the world in search of a friend who may be dead?

  CLICK HERE to download THE SAVED SERIES

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lorhainne Eckhart recently received the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Award for Suspense and Rom
ance for her two titles Vanished & The Bloodline. With over fifty titles under her belt, her big family romance series are loved by fans worldwide. Books that celebrate love, family, commitment, hope, and making a relationship work. With flawed strong characters, characters you can relate to. Lorhainne writes the kind of books she wants to read.

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  She is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, such as romance, western, military, and mystery/suspense. She has written multiple series, including The Outsider, Walk the Right Road, The Wilde Brothers, Saved, The Friessens, Married in Montana, Kate and Walker: Deadly, Dangerous, and Desired, and her newest addition and spinoff of the bestselling Friessen Series THE MCCABE BROTHERS.

  Lorhainne loves to hear from her readers! You can connect with me at:

  www.LorhainneEckhart.com

  Lorhainne@LorhainneEckhart.com

  Links to Lorhainne Eckhart’s Booklist

  The following Lorhainne Eckhart titles are available in ebook, audiobook and paperback. Please scroll down for the links or visit her website at www.LorhainneEckhart.com for available retailers.

  The Outsider Series

  The Forgotten Child (Brad and Emily)